Method of producing upon the surface of pile fabrics an imitation of the irregular curly appearance of astrakhan fur and the like.



J'. DOBSDN.

METHOD OF PRODUCING UPON THE SURFACE 0]? FILE FABRICS AN IMITATION OF THE IRREGULAR OURLY APPEARANCE 0F ASTRAKHAN FUR AND THE LIKE.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 17, 1914. 1,102,488, Patented July 7, 1914.

2 $HBETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES J. DOBSON. METHOD OF PRODUCING UPON THE SURFACE OF PILE FABRICS AN IMITATION OF THE IRREGULAR OURLY APPEARANCE 0F ASTRAKHAN EUR AND THE LIKE.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN.17, 1914. '1 1@2,%83 Patented July '7, 1914.

' 2 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

- ED STATES P T NT ()FFIGE.

JAMES DOIBSONQDF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF PRODU'CING UPON THE SURFACE FILE FABRICS AN IMITATION 0 1! THE IRREGULAR CURLY APPEARANCE 0F ASTRAKHAN FUR AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 17, 1914. Serial No. 812,825.

Patented July 7, 1914.

, being had to the accompanying drawings,

forming a part of this specification.

' My invention relates to the production of pile fabrics and has for its object to more closely imitate on the ile surface of such fabrics the peculiar cur y appearance of the real :Astrakhan and Persian lamb skins. Attempts have heretofore been made to accomplish this result, but the effect produced has not been permanent in character, nor productive of a satisfactory imitation of the real fur. My method produces a result not open to either of those objections and it con- ,siStS in the several steps hereinafter described, effected by suitable mechanical and other means for rolling a strip of the plain surface pile fabrics, upon a more or less porous textile supporting strip interposed between the convolutions, as rolled, and applying by compression between the successive convolutions of the roll of the plain surface pile fabric so supported the molding or indenting effect of a series'of sinuous or curly non-compressible elements scattered loosely on the pile surface and adapted to assume tween the pile surface of the fabric and the porous textile support therefor, and then subjecting the roll so prepared to the action of dry steam from the interior .of the roll outwardly, and until the compression effect of said elements has become permanent,

Suitable means and mechanism for eflecting the method described are shown in the drawings annexed hereto, and which I will now describe sufficiently to enable my method to be successfully performed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figurel, is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3, is a vertical'section thereof, on line 33 Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a plan View of one of the figuring devices. Fig. 5, is a side view of the figuring device shown in Flg. 4. Fig.

6, is e view of a, group of figuring devices of by gravity aflat position on and be-,

different sizes. Fig. 7, is a detail of one of the bearings for the perforated roller shaft. Flg. 8, 1s a section, on line 8-8 of Fig. 2,

showing one of the friction devices. Fig. 9,

is a view partly in elevation and partly broken away, of the perforated roller andits shaft removed from the machine. Fig. 10,

is a view, in section, of the perforated roller with the steam pipe applied thereto. Fig. 11, is a view of the finished product of the machine. 7 g I Referring to the drawings, the frame of the machine comprises two spaced parallel side standards 2 connected by horizontal tie bars 3 extending there between and secured thereto. Extending between the standards 2 and journaled in suitable bearings therein is a shaft 4.- to whichis secured a roller 5 carrying a rolled strip of porous fabric 6, such as duckf The fabric 6 extends from the roll 5 to and around'idler rollers 7 and thence to a roller 8 upon which it is wound or rolled.

The idlers 7 are carried by shafts which are mountedto'tur'n in bearings in the standards 2, and the roller 8 is carried by a shaft 9 which is journaled in bearings 10 on the standards 2. One end of the shaft 9 extends outwardly and has keyed'thereon a worm wheel 11-, in mesh with a worm 12, 'secured on a driving shaft 13 which turns in bearings 14: on one of the standards 2. The

driving shaft 13 is provided with fast and loose'pulleys 15 and 16, respectively, adapted to receive a belt from a source of power to rotate the shaft 13. By shifting the belt from one to the other of the fast and loose pulleys, the shaft 13 may be started and rotated, the Worm 12 and worm-wheel 11 of the arrow,

to draw the fabric 6 from the roller 5 stopped, as desired. When the shaft 13 is around the idlers 7 and wind or roll it upon I the roller 8.

In orderthat the fabric 6 may be wound upon the roller 8, under tension, I provide the outwardly-extending end of the roller air .of friction'disks 17 and 1 g is keyed to the shaft 4 and shaft 4 with a 18. The disk 1 the disk 18 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 4 between the disk 17 and ahead-or collar 19 screwed on to the end of the shaft 4:, a yielding washer 20 being interposed between the head 19 and the hub of the disk 18. By adjusting the. h a 1 the pr s e f the 35 26 extending parallel to the roller 8 and regulated. The disk 18 isprovided with ratchet teeth which are engaged by a pawl 21 pivoted on the adjacent standard 2. F rom. this construction it will be seen that when the fabric 6 is drawn from the roller 5, the pawl 21 will prevent the rotation of the disk 18 and that the friction between the engaged faces of the disks17 and 18 will cause the fabric 6 to be drawn from the roller 5 under tension and to be tightly wound upon the roller 8.'

The .pile fabric 22 to be treated is first wound upon a roller 23 carried by a shaft 24 which is mounted to turn in bearings in the standards 2. From the roller 23, the pile fabric passes over the top of the fabric 6 with its pile surface uppermost between the rollers 7 and Sand is drawn into the layers of the fabric 6 upon the roller 8, entering between the top of the fabric 6 leading to the roller 8 and the last preceding layer of the fabric 6 rolled upon the roller 8, so that, as the roller 8 rotates, the pile fabric 22 will be drawn from the roller 23 and rolled upon the roller 8, each layer of pile fabric being inclosed between two layers of the fabric 6. I provide one end of the roller shaft 24with a friction device 25 which is constructed the same as the friction device, hereinbefore described, for the shaft of the roller 4 so that the pile fabric 22 may also be drawn from the roller 23 under tension. To further assist in tightly winding the fabric upon the roller 8, I provide a board carried by end brackets 27 which are pivoted to a rod 28 extending between the standards 2. The board 26 is movable about the axis of the rod 28 toward and from the roller 8 and is pressed against the fabric being rolled thereon by a weight 29 at'each end of. the board 26. Each weight 29 is attached to one end of a cord or chain 30 which passes over a grooved pulley 31 journaled on a pin on the adjacent standard 2 the other end of the cord 30 being attachedto a downwardly-extending arm 32 of tl'lth bracket 27 carrying the adjacent end of the board 26.

. When the pile fabric 22 passes over the rollers 7 and the upper face of the fabric 6 on its way to the roller 8, the upper or pile. surface of the pile fabric receives a quantity of figuring or patterning elements or devices 33 which are placed or scattered 'promiscuously thereon by hand, in accordancewit-h the generally *irregular impressjons to be made in the 'pilein imitation of thelfur of the genuine Skins. Each figuring device 33 is. formed of non-oxidizable and n'd'n-corrosible metal, such as aluminum, bent into sinuous form with all the sinuous curves thereof being parallel to a single plane, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5,

so that the devices will lie flat upon each other and upon the pile surface of the fabric when dropped or scattered thereon by hand, as shown in Fig. 1. As the fabric is wound. upon the roller 8 the figuring devices 33 are vcarried into and between the pile surface of the pile fabric 22 and the next adjacent layer of the fabric 6, and are thereby caused to embed themselves in the fabric.

The figuring devices 33 are made of different lengths, some having more sinuous curves than others, as shown in Fig. 6, and

pile of the pile the devices 83 may also be made of wire.

of different gages for a greater variety of effects in the finished product.

The roller 8 is made hollow to receive steam, and it is also perforated, as clearly shown in Fig. 9, to permit the steam introduced to the roller 8 to pass throu h the fabric rolled thereon, for a purpose. erein after explained. The upper portions of the bearings 10 for the shaft 9 are hinged at 35 and are movable to the dotted line position, shown in Fig. 6, to permit the removal of the shaft 9-and roller 8 from the machine.

The upper portions of the bearings 10 are held in the full line position by pivoted bolts 36 and thumb screws 37 thereon engaging the bearings. "When the shaft 9 and the roller 8 are removed from the machine, the shaft 9 iswithdrawn endwise from the roller and a steam pipe 40 is inserted into the roller 8 as shown in Fig. 9. When the elbow 41 and head 42 and a packing ring 44 -is interposed bet-ween the head 42 and the adjacent end ofthe roller 8 to form steam tight joints, The other end of the pipe 40 is closed and is exteriorly screw-threaded for the reception of a head or nut 45 between which and the adjacent endof the roller 8 a packing ring 46 is placed. When the head or nut 45 is removed from the pipe 40 it may be readily inserted into or removed from the roller 8. WVhen the pipe 40c-is inserted and the head 45 is applied and tightened,

the parts will be drawn tightly against the packing rings 43, 44 and 46, so that no steam will escape from the ends of the roller. The portion of the pipe 40 exposed to the interior ofthe roller 8 is provided throughoutits length with perforations for the even distribution of steam entering the roller.

Steam maybe readily'supplied to the pipe 40 from'a suitable source by connecting a .pipe' leading therefrom to the elbow 41.

' The operation is as follows: The shaft 9 and perforated roller 8 are placed upon the machine, the porous fabric 6 is wound upon the roller 5 and drawn therefrom around the rollers 7 and-wound several turns around the perforated roller 8. The pile fabric 22 to be treated is wound upon the roller 23 and drawn therefrom to and over the rollers7 and thence overthetop of the fabric 6 and its free end inserted between the upper face of the fabric 6 leading to the roller 8 and-the bottom of the outside layer of the fabric. 6 around the roller 8, so that the subsequent operation of the machine will wind both fabrics 6 and 22 upon the roller 8 as previously explained. A quantity of the figuring devices 33 are now placed or scattered upon the pile surface of the pile fabric by hand, as shown in Fig. 1, in accordance with the general character of the particular fur to be imitated. Power is now applied to the shaft 13 and both fabrics 6 and 22 are tightly wound upon the roller 8, carrying the figuring devices 33 into the roll of fabric between the pile surface of the pile fabric 22 and the fabric 6 facing the pile surface around the rollers 8. The tight winding of the fabric upon the roller 8 forces the figuring devices 33 into and embeds them in the pile of the pile fabric, and, as'the figuring devices are non-compressible and of substantially permanent configuration, they form distinct and well defined indentations or impressions in the pile of the pile fabric. As rapidly as the pile fabric 22 is taken up by thevroller 8, the figuring devices 33 are placed or scattered on the pile surface thereof as it passes to the roller 8; and after all the pile fabric has passed to the roller 8, several additional layers of the fabric 6 are wound around the roll of fabric. The shaft 9 and roller 8 are now carrying the roll of fabric removed from the machine, and the shaft 9 is removed from the roller 8 and the pipe 40 applied thereto.. The pipe 40 is then connected to a source of dry steam supply and the steam turned on. The dry steam enters the roller 8 and passes therefrom through the perforations therein and through the porous fabric '6 and pile fabric 22 wound upon the roller, the pile fabric being also porous. The'steaming operation is continued for about fifteen minutes when the steam is turned off. The roll of fabric is then permitted to remain on the roller 8 until the fabric has thoroughly cooled, there- 'by setting the pile with the indentations formed therein by the figuring devices 33 and forming substantially permanent impressions in true imitation of thefur of the genuine sltins. After cooling, the fabric is unrolled from the roller 8 and the roller 8, shaft 9, figuring devices 33 and porous fabric 6 are returned to the machine for a succeeding operation on a fresh roll of pile fabric.

The figuring devices 33, when placed or scattered upon the pile surface of the pile fabrics and lying either singly or crossing each other thereon, provide patterns of the exact form of the impressions or indentations desired to be made in the pile of the pile fabric in true imitation of the curly fur of the genuine skins.

Before the roller 23 to be treated as just described, it is treated in the usual manner to cause the pile threads of certain spots or regions to extend in one direction and the pile threads of certain other spots or regions to extend in other directions, in imitation of the peculiar appearance of the fur of the natural skins.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method described of producing upon the surface of pile fabrics an imitation o the irregular curly appearance of Astrakhan fur and the like, which consists in rolling under longitudinal tension a strip of plain surface pile fabric, with an interposed porous textile fabric between theconvolutions of the roll, scattering thereon, as the rolling progresses, a series of sinuous or curly non-compressible elements adapted to assume by gravity a flat position, and then subjecting the roll so prepared to the action of dry steam from the interior of the roll outwardly.

surface of plain pile fabrics the sinuous and curly appearance of Asktrakhan fur and the like, which consists in loosely scattering upon the pile surface to be acted on a series of non-compressible figuring devices, supporting the pile fabric and said figuring devices between porous textile fabric, under pressure, and applying dry steam to the elements so arranged.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature this thirty-first day of December A. D. 1913.

y JAMES DOBSON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR N. SPENCER, WM. MORISON.

2. The method of producing upon the pile v 

